Curtin, Philip (De Armond) (1922– )

US historian. He pioneered the study of African economic history and helped mainstream African history in American curricula. He wrote prolifically on the African colonial period, the slave trade, and, in his later work, black demographic and medical history.

He was born in Philadelphia. He founded the African studies program in 1961 while at the University of Wisconsin 1956–75, before joining the Johns Hopkins University faculty in 1975.